We Are The United Nations

1. Who We Are:

We are a group of diverse and EMPOWERED city students who have traveled together in the past in order to spread a message of social justice, love, acceptance and change in the world.  Last year we traveled to Santa Rosa High School where we presented who we are and our stories to over 1,000 of our peers/students at the school read about us here at this NEA article:

Empowered city students take diversity on the road

A Brief Video Introduction:



We are:

Yadira Del Valle:
I am a Chicana born and raised in San Francisco. I grew up in the Mission District where Latinx Culture is valued. Being in the Mission is difficult, there was a lot of gang violence which has been going down due to the fact that many people of low income are being displaced thanks to gentrification. My classmates and I got to travel to Santa Rosa to do a presentation which informed them on gentrification and other issues such as Islamophobia and homophobia all which we learned from our teacher Fakhra Shah in out Critical Thinking and Social Change class. As the daughter of two Mexican immigrants I feel a lot of pressure on my shoulders. If all my goals are accomplished then I’ll be the first in my family to go to college. I aspire to be an educator and make a difference. Going to Switzerland is an opportunity I will not ever be given again and it would be great if my classmates and I could go together and demonstrate what it is that we’ve learned and bring diversity to the Model United Nations.






Zeke Bellino
    As a young white man being part of such a diverse group is a privilege. It gives me a perspective that many don’t have or fail to see. I see the struggles of many of my peers and in some cases I even connect to it. I was born in San Francisco’s Mission district. I am a junior and athlete at Mission High School. I play football, baseball and basketball. Sports is a huge part of my life but I also love me some social justice. My Social Change and Critical Thinking class’ teacher Ms.Shah has had a huge impact on my life. I have become a more compassionate person with dreams of creating change in my world for everybody. I’m passionate about creating a better world for me and for everybody. I have attended conferences for social change where I have participated in presenting in an attempt to be the change I want to see in the world.



Zakaria Kassim
I grew up in Yemen, I speak Arabic, and I am Muslim. Everyday growing up I heard about death in school, but I had no choice but to ignore it and focus on survival. On the rare occasion that I could go to class, I would end up skipping classes. Due to our harsh living environment, we all resented going to school and I thought this is what school was like everywhere. Instead of learning how to be successful and have a career, I was trained to be a soldier to serve in a war that seems like it will never end. However, my father brought me with him to the US and told me I would be going to school in San Francisco. While many people would think that leaving behind a civil war would be simple, I came here without my mother and my siblings when I was fourteen. I arrived in San Francisco and decided to go to Mission High School. My first day at Mission High was November 1, 2014, which was also the hardest day of my life so far. That day, I realized I would need to do everything differently because I had been given a chance to succeed: I needed to learn English, get focused on my goal getting into college, and stay very motivated even though I knew it would continue to be a daily struggle. My most important job in America, and my biggest goal, is to get into college so I can provide a better life for my family and hopefully for many communities in Yemen.

Check out my poem:

Alejandro Colindres:
I am strong, I am beautiful, I have incredible diction and I am Switzerland bound. My name is Alejandro Colindres. I'm a senior at Mission High School. My hobbies include art specifically illustrations and painting, while also participating in the Mission High Debate Team. In the meantime, I hope to improve my debate skills so that I may pass down some of my knowledge to my peers. In Ms. Shah’s we have been given the opportunity to travel to Geneva, Switzerland and we need your help. We’ve been given the opportunity to travel overseas to Switzerland. There, we'll be participating in Model United Nations. This is something I've never imagined being chosen to do as a person of color in San Francisco. Students at Mission are almost always treated poorly, our school is considered failing but that doesn't scare us from taking advantage of opportunity. I've grown to become passionate about social justice and civil rights and I want the world to hear my voice.




Leslie Mendez:
All my life I was living in a roller coaster. I faced a lot of obstacles in my life which caused me to be a really shy and insecure person who was never confident of herself and always had a very negative way of thinking I was always living in a small corner. Although, despite the constant negativity I go through trying to get through my life I try my best to not fall, and if I do I remember who I am. A strong independent 17 year old who has a strong way of thinking. I am a proud latina who is now confident of who she is. I am a person who is not afraid of expressing who I am, where I came from, or the way I think.





Garrison Tsui:
I’m Garrison, an Asian American who has been shy from the beginning and was taught to be a conformist. I started high school here at MHS where I didn't know anybody. It really helped me grow to become a leader and to who I am today. When I first stepped into school I was very shy and didn't talk to anybody, but I made a bold move to have a sheep join a wolf pack. I made a small joke, “No New Friends” a lyric from Drake’s song to my peers around me and they laughed. I courageously decided to hang out with them at lunch. I was the only non African American person part of the group. We were part of the rowdiest groups, but I was the quiet one. Being shy was poignant. I never got to try out for the basketball team. I never went to teachers to raise my grade. I never rose my hand to answer or ask questions. With each year I have become more confident in myself. I talk more, I joke around more, and most importantly I have a stronger mental health and am able to work hard for what I want.




Nadra Mohamed:
My name is Nadra Mohamed. I am originally from Eritrea; a place that is not perfect and that is ruled by a dictator. A place that doesn’t have democracy and where you can’t express your feelings or have freedom of choice for education, profession, or many other things. I immigrated to the United States in 2012. I am currently attending Mission High School and I am part of the tennis team, participate in Upward Bound, and Youth Works. Since I came here five years ago, I got a lot of opportunities to get educated with a support from my family, friends, teachers, and mentors. I didn’t have this chance in my country and other countries that I visited such as Sudan and Kenya. I have faced a lot challenges before I came to the United States and overcome them. Education is something that I am really passionate about because before coming here I didn't have the opportunity to get educated. When it comes to opportunities, I always make sure to take advantage of them by joining academic programs and taking initiative to seek resources and support. I never want to go back to the same position again and put my future at risk, so when I had the opportunities and resources offered to me, I always make sure to take advantage of them. In these five years, I grew as a person and developed confidence in myself and will continue to do so in the future.






Samantha Chang:
My name is Samantha. I was born and raised in the Mission District for sixteen years and currently a junior at Mission High School. I Raised in a family that’s multicultural, bilingual and freely expressing each side we were given. After school, I volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club at Columbia Park. There I help out with the younger kids who are having trouble with not just homework, but also with their own self. And having the opportunity to educate them what I have learned and creating new relationships with staff who are able to help me with my own situations. I currently take Ms. Shah’s Social Change and Critical Thinking class which allows all youth to be their own person. I’ve been timid around everyone I’ve met and wouldn’t speak out. This class helped me break down that barrier so I can be more outspoken and to allow myself achieve more than I thought. With having the opportunity to travel to Geneva, Switzerland will have us bring diversity and different cultures. And giving us a chance to represent ourselves and our school altogether.





Kenan Mirou:
I am Kenan Osama Mirou, a 17 year old Syrian immigrant. I moved to the U.S in 2013 when an armed group attempted to kidnap my father and I. Since then I have published stories about my life that have gotten attention from outside of the country and was taken to Scotland to tell my story on a nationwide heard podcast. I owe all my successes to my mother who is waiting to see me shine while she suffers a challenging life in a war torn country. My wish is to be able to change as much as I can of my country’s destiny by spreading awareness and stories of the continuous violence that is affecting my people. I will not let my life pass without benefiting and nourishing the jasmine flower roots that have given me the strength and courage to start over and stay strong. My dad.




Dajhin Lee:
My name is Dajhin Lee, I’m 17 years old and attend Mission High School. I am African American and Filipino growing up in a society that is constantly changing and oppressive. As I entered my high school years I was lost, but thanks to the culture and environment at Mission High School I found my identity. I have multiple perspectives on the world, but I would like to hear others from different places. I personally have limited access to chances like this and would love to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity, empower myself and take in a new experience.  





Eva Villareal:
My name is Eva Villareal and I am here to tell you a little about myself. I am a 17 year old senior at Mission High School. I am the 5th child out of 9 kids. As a young girl, sticking my head into books was my favorite thing to do other than play soccer and volleyball. Being in a house with a lot of siblings has made me realize things from all different points of views and learn a lot about responsibility, also restraining me from being able to travel. Till one day that all changed. I was born in the city of San Francisco which gives me a really good opportunity to see things from a different perspective. However I have not always lived in the city, most of my childhood I lived in Richmond, others refer to it as the some of the hood in the bay. Where you have to be cautious of your surroundings even if the sun is out. Going from the city where there is so much diversity, to the city of I've always had a different way of viewing things, no matter my environment when i was younger. My parents taught me to always keep an open mind because not everyone was raised the same. I've always had an eye out for how society portrays things and noticing the wrong in it and I've always had a motive to want to make change in society by showing trans-formative reactions towards my community.





Randy Cazarez:
I am a 17 year old at Mission High School, who enjoys being outdoors, and playing sports such as soccer. Growing up in La Mission has served as a blessing in many ways. It has brought me closer to my culture. Our culture and community has faced many challenges such as the past of gang violence to now gentrification. Although this has affected us by being kicked out of our homes, and our culture being sold. I have not let this bring me down instead we keep persevering by learning and educating to empower each other. This is why in the future I want to be able to transform my community rather than transcend it and leave it behind. Our class has been honored to be invited to the Model United Nations at Switzerland. This will empower our class and we will take what we learned and experienced to our communities thus empowering ourselves.




Hashim Abuzaid:
I grew up in Yemen and had only spoken Arabic. I came from a civil war country by myself without my parent. It was very hard to live days without them. I’d always think about them. The days felt like months, because I did not have anybody to talk and express myself to. After a few months, My dad and my brother came to United States. I was so happy that I finally got to see them even if my whole family was not here, I got to see some of them. However, I started going to school at Mission High School. The first day was so hard because I did not speak the language they spoke which is English. It was so hard to communicate with the teacher and the Students. After a few months of struggling learning English, I was finally able to speak some English, and communicate with them.




Jeimy Valdez:
I am 18 years old. I have a younger brother so I’m the older one. I wasn’t born in the U.S but I came here when I was 6 years old so I was raised here in San Francisco. Therefore, I’ve adapted to the environment. I attend to Mission High School and I’m a senior. I plan to attend California State University, East Bay, so I will be the first generation to attend college. Traveling to Switzerland would be a great opportunity for me to get out of the country because I’ve never traveled outside of the U.S the only time was when I moved here from El Salvador so I would be extremely grateful for this opportunity.


Stephanie Garcia:

I was raised in the Mission District with traditional Mexican grandparents.  I am a student at Mission High School and being here has helped me realize what a huge sacrifice my grandparents have made for me to be where I am today. My family has had to cancel many trips in the past because they were afraid of being stopped on the way and questioned for papers they cannot present. My grandparents being immigrants has planted fear in their hearts for as long as they have lived in this country. My mother inspires me because she is the reason why I want to succeed, I want to see the day where I am able to help my parents come back and live with me so we can come back to being the happy family I’ve always envisioned.  I hope that I am able to pursue my goals and aspirations even though my parents and family have not been able to do so.





Marvin Zita:
I am a 17 year old student athlete at Mission High School, however I’m not the typical jock. I am a young man who is well aware of the toxic ideas of masculinity that pervade the sports world, and I am determined to not be apart of that toxicity. I strive to fight injustice where I see it, and be on the side of those being oppressed. As the son of immigrant parents I also strive to take advantage of every opportunity that might be offered to me. This is one of those opportunities.



Lofton Lazar:
My name is Lofton Daniel Lazar. I am truly blessed to have grown up and live in the most diverse city in the world, San Francisco. My interests include hanging out with my friends travelling, listening, making music, and learning new things. My favorite color is blue and my favorite type of food is Nepalese food. I am 17 and hope to go to a 4 year college so that I can pursue a happy life. My only goal in life is to feel fulfilled and to empower myself and others. To counter that, my fears are not being able to help myself or others with certain situations and problems.





Brandon Rosas:
I am Brandon Rosas, I was born in Guatemala City, and I came to the United State. when I was 12 years old. I faced and overcame many obstacles throughout my life. I want to educate others to show them how important it is to be educated in today’s era since people would diminish you and take your rights and privileges away from you. If I get to go to the Model United Nations, I will take the advantage of everyone’s point of view and come back to my school (Mission High School) and transform my school’s community so the I can eventually transform my neighborhood and peers outside of my school. I will not be a waste of your donation, I am going to bring back knowledge that will get spread out to many peers.

I am a cheerleader at my school that advocates for their team, and tries to make it as diverse as possible and end the team’s stereotypes. I have had disdain from others but no matter what I became the captain of the team since my Sophomore year. I had overpass obstacles and build a family within each year our bonds gets stronger. I feel like I am my mom’s reflection every time I cheer, since she was a cheerleader too and I want to be just as good as her one day.



 2. Our Goals:

To attain masterful debating skills and learn about the world by traveling to Model United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.  To bring that knowledge back to our community and to enrich our lives and the lives of those we touch.


3. How you can help us:

Please support us and help us by donating and getting the word out.  We would love to come and present to your organization!


https://www.gofundme.com/MissionHighModelUN


4.  Thank you GO PRO !!

We will add a few words here about how go pro has helped us.



About Our Teacher Ms. Shah:

She is not only an award winning educator but she is someone who has taught us a great deal about the history of the United States and the world.  We have had the opportunity to deepen our knowledge about the politics of power, study critical liberation theory and learn about transformative change through studying theories and learning how to shape policy.   

Our teacher, Ms. Fakhra Shah, was on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle for her lesson about 9/11.  Check out videos and photos about our class here:

http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Remembering-9-11-when-it-s-not-your-memory-9215219.php

She also writes and blogs for the Southern Poverty Law Center's Project called, Teaching Tolerance, check out her blog, lesson, and information about her here: 

https://www.tolerance.org/author/fakhra-shah

Finally she has also been featured in numerous education publications along with San Francisco Magazine:

https://medium.com/@sanfranmag/the-resistance-2716cbd2fa24

http://neatoday.org/2016/06/09/muslim-students-u-s/



Please help us achieve our dreams of getting to Geneva, Switzerland!



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